ROBBIE MCGUIGAN AND JAK JONES QUALIFY

Robbie McGuigan and Jak Jones secure their spots in the second stage of the BetVictor Championship League ranking event at Morningside Arena, Leicester.

Top seed Tom Ford withdrew from the tournament at the start of the day, leaving only three players in Group 7: 2023 Scottish Open quarter-finalist Sanderson Lam, snooker veteran Barry Pinches, and Northern Irish rising star Robbie McGuigan.

Despite all three players finishing the day with one win and one loss, Robbie McGuigan claimed the top position by frame difference. In his opening match against Sanderson Lam, McGuigan executed crucial runs of 58, 54, and 73 to secure a 3-0 win.

Welshman Jak Jones struggled in the opening round against Antoni Kowalski in Group 8, who swiftly claimed the first two frames. Jones responded with runs of 108 and 72 to tie the match 2-2.

After losing the first frame of his second match against Bulcsu Revesz, Jones made an impressive comeback to secure his first win of the day, delivering an important top break of 88 in a 3-1 victory.

Jones finished the day with an intense showdown against Northern Irish snooker star Jordan Brown, which ended in a 2-2 draw. In the final frame, Brown attempted to surpass Jones’s top break of 88 from the previous match but fell short with an 87, allowing the Welshman to qualify.The Championship League is the first ranking event of the new season and was won last year by the 2005 World Champion, Shaun “The Magician” Murphy. The opening tournament of the season runs until July 3rd. In the first phase, 128 players are split into 32 groups of four, with those 32 group winners going through to the next round. 

The tournament takes place over three stages, starting on Monday, 10 June. Winners’ Week will run from Friday 28, June concluding with Finals Day on Wednesday, 3 July. The eventual winner will also receive an invite into the 2023 Champion of Champions this November 11 to November 17alongside the £20,000 first-place prize.